Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume2 Chapter9 Draft (section)

===Part 2===

—There was no sight that signaled the beginning of the blade dance.

Just shrilling metallic sounds that broke the silence. A silver sword flashed through the darkness, intense sparks scattered inside the cave.

Terminus Est swung down and was immediately repelled by Jio.

Kamito stepped closer and tried to slash him again. Jio slightly shifted his center of gravity and evaded by a paper-thin margin. He then laughed shrilly and jumped straight up.

Like a spider, he clung onto the ceiling as—

"Huh, there's no foreplay?! Let me enjoy a little conversation, {{Furigana|Strongest Blade Dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=13}}!"

"My bad, I don't have anything like a chivalrous spirit— just like you!"

"...Wh!?"

Jio’s red eyes widened as Kamito kicked off the wall and jumped up.

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Terminus Est swung in midair and struck his sword.

A shriek that came from two blades grinding against each other resounded and Jio's sword spirit was broken into many small pieces.

Kamito did not stop. He kicked off the wall again, changed his direction and hit his adversary in the face. The boy then pushed off the ceiling and chased after Jio, who was falling to the ground because of gravity and the strength of the punch.

Like a hawk descending upon its prey Kamito grabbed him by his collar and slammed his head into the ground.

A thick cloud of dust rose up. It was a strike without mercy.

With precision born from long practices Kamito threw another punch, but at that moment…

A seal on Jio's right hand glowed. Sensing danger, Kamito immediately jumped aside.

At that moment, a silver flash came from Jio's palm.

What appeared in his hand was a new elemental waffe.

It was a narrow sword that had some kind of ornament etched on its side. It was a rapier, used exclusively for thrusting.

Kamito decided to put some distance between them. He prepared Terminus Est.

"As expected of the {{Furigana|Strongest Blade Dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=13}}. What absurd movements."

"A difficult technique that uses closed environment to attack from many sides. It’s the first technique taught at the «Instructional School». '''But I wasn't doing it as masterfully as you'''."<!--あんたほど徹底してはいないがな-->

"..."

Jio kept silent.

"Just now, I understood it when our swords clashed. You are the same as me, an orphan from the «Instructional School»— '''A failure of the Demon King'''."

Instructional School— it was the name of the institution, where Kamito received training as an assassin when he was a child.

It was a secret organization established by some nobles. There, they collected girls who possessed the qualities of an elementalist from orphanages all over the continent in order to raise a group of skilful assassins.

At first, the institute was supposed to be supplying killers for their noble colleagues. However, the teachers of Instructional School became independent of the nobles, and before long the whole place turned into some fanatical faith.

—Namely, the one that predicted the second coming of the Demon King.

The only male elementalist in history.

The man, who used seventy-two spirits and led the continent to ruins.

'''Creating his successor.'''

That was the purpose of that faith and the measures they took to accomplish it were very simple.

The Demon King was the only male elementalist in history— If that was the case, it was only natural that his successor would be a boy.

With that thought in mind, they gathered boys who were deemed to have the ability to even slightly exchange feelings with spirits, hypnotized, drugged, let spirits posses them and carried many other experiments on those children. But they had no success. 

For this reason, that moment, eight years ago, when Kamito was discovered, those guys felt ecstatic.

"—Correct."

Jio Inzagi let an extremely dreadful smile cross his lips.

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"The attempt of men to find the Demon King's heir. Its very first success is me."

Kamito—

Twisted his mouth in a cynical smile and shrugged.

"Success? Are you joking?"

"I understand your feelings of not wanting to acknowledge it. Nevertheless, this isn't a joke."

"I didn’t mean it like that."

Kamito shook his head pityingly.

"A male elementalist, who uses seventy-two contracted spirits— if that was considered a success, then you are '''definitely not one, you know'''."

"...What?"

Jio's red eyes widened and then his face twisted in hatred.

"I too was fooled at first. About you really using seventy-two contracted spirits. However, I was wrong." 

Kamito indifferently informed him.

"They are not contracted spirits. They are all sealed spirits."

"...!"

That's right— the spirits that Jio Inzagi was using were not ones he had contracts with.

'''They were sealed inside the marks engraved on his body and treated as equipment.'''

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Kamito realized that because Jio never used the same weapon twice.

(...Besides, he has also utilized elemental waffes of the same type.)

There was no point in contracting a large quantity of sword spirits unless one planned to use and throw them away from the start. In comparison, it would be much more efficient to have just one and allow it to grow in strength.

Besides, no matter how powerful Est's elemental waffe was, Jio’s weapons broke too easily. That was strange because even the weakest spirit was a lot tougher than that.

"...What I mean is that just like Fianna you used spirit crystals that can be easily discharged after serving their purpose."

A spirit could not grow until there was a contract and its true power as an elemental waffe also could not be drawn out.

The divine power that Kamito believed to be inexhaustible was also a mere illusion.

"You are a fake Demon King, Jio Inzagi. No, you're not even an elementalist."

Certainly, the fact he was alive and healthy while having so many spirits sealed inside his body meant that the experiment was at least partially successful. If Jio were an ordinary person he would be driven mad a long time ago.

But calling himself the Demon King while not even being an elementalist…

The fact he was contracted with several spirits was just a deception.

"...Huh, so what?"

Jio's red eyes shone hatefully as he spat those words.

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"Even if you know that, there's no changing the fact that you can't beat me!"

Jio kicked off the ground. The rapier became a blur in his hand.

"I'm the Demon King! And I will prove it by killing the {{Furigana|Strongest Blade Dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=13}}, you!"

Just before reaching opponent, Jio lowered his body, aimed for the boy’s throat and launched a lightning fast thrust. 

Kamito avoided it by leaning slightly to the side. Then he spun around and retaliated with a kick.<!-- カウンターの蹴りを見舞った a counter kick paid him a visit-->

His foot connected with Jio's chest. Continuing the rotation, Kamito raised Est over his head.

"Manifest, {{Furigana|flame wolf spirit| Barguest|margin=13}}!"

A seal glowed on Jio's arm before a blazing fanged creature attacked Kamito.

It was a lava hound, clad in black flames. The spirit bit Kamito’s raised, left hand.

Intense pain coursed through his body, as though his blood was boiling. However—

"...Raaaa!"

Kamito spun again, swung his arm and smashed the lava hound into a wall.

The flames exploded and scattered. Melted rock flew around. If it were a contracted spirit, it would go back to protect its master— however, a sealed spirit, after being released, vanished without a trace.

"How lukewarm... Claire's flames are much hotter!"

A dreadful smile graced Kamito’s lips as he swung Terminus Est.

The wind pressure broke Jio’s stance, which was immediately used to Kamito’s advantage.

Raising his shining, silver sword up, the boy then brought it down with all his might.

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"—Manifest, {{Furigana|shield spirit|Aegis|margin=13}}!"

However, Jio managed to stop it in time.

Sword spirit against shield spirit— even for Est, the chances were extremely poor!

But Kamito did not draw back. Without pause, he just pushed stronger.

"—Let's go Est, show me just how serious you can be!"

In response to Kamito's shout, Teminus Est's glow intensified.

Light flashed and covered the sacred sword—

At that moment, it transformed into gigantic blade that far exceeded its wielder’s stature.

"Wh...at!?"

"Ooooooo!"

Kamito roared. A crack appeared on the shield.

And then— it broke in half!

"This is absurd...!"<!--too many spirits, had to shorten it-->

"This is the power of a contracted spirit bound by a seal, Jio Inzagi!"

Kamito held the large sword up again, but at that moment—

"... You bastaarrd!"

(—What?)

Jio stuck out a hand in which he held '''a shiny red comma-shaped jewel'''.

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The moment Kamito saw that gem an indescribable chill ran down his spine.

Terminus Est shook slightly.

The moment its edge touched the surface of the precious stone—

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Pishi*— a small crack appeared on the blade.

"...!?"

The {{Furigana|Demon King Killing Sacred Sword|Demon Slayer|margin=13}} lost its dazzling brightness.

And from the crack a black stain started spreading.

(Est is being corroded!?)

Kamito tried to draw his sword back, but...

Jio sneered at him.

"I told you once what your weakness is, Ren Ashbell."

"Guu...!"

The rapier pierced Kamito's abdomen.

As he grasped Est, who was being consumed by the blackness, the boy fell down to his knees.

"You can't accept spirits as tools. Therefore, you are weak."

Jio calmly stood up while playing with the red shiny comma-shaped jewel in his hand.

"That spirit crystal is... don't tell me—"

"Ahh?... That's right. That princess was holding the same thing."

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"A Blood Stone...?"

It was a national treasure in which the power of a top-ranking spirit could be sealed.

(Why does he have—)

"That's right. This very thing is the source of my power— the power of the {{Furigana|mad king |Nebuchadnezzar|margin=13}} that rules over many spirits."

With the jewel in his hand, Jio laughed loudly, and the seals engraved on his whole body emitted an ominous glow. 

"... I see, so you were able to use that many elemental waffe because of the power of the high-ranking spirit that was sealed in that jewel."

It seemed that unlike Fianna’s Blood Stone, which worked only once, the gem in Jio’s hand manifested its power just by being attached to someone’s body.

"...What a complete fake. What a pathetic Demon King-sama."

"You have the gall to say that, I'll make your sword spirit mine right here and now—"

The black stain continued spreading on Terminus Est. Jio's loud laughter resounded within the cave.

However, a faint smile surfaced on Kamito's lips.

"Jio Inzagi, do you know? This tunnel reflects sounds well."

"Ahh? What are you saying—"

"Why do you think I was spending time listing your magic tricks?"
	
"What?"

That's right; Kamito was not having a pointless talk.

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He was passing information.

About Jio using not contracted, but just sealed spirits.

"Don't misunderstand. The one you're fighting isn't the {{Furigana|Strongest Blade Dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=13}}."

At that moment, Flame Tongue coiled around Jio's right hand.

"—It's Team Scarlet."

"...!?"

The door to the true shrine opened. And there—

Brushing up her red twin-tails and with a whip in hand, Claire Rouge stood proudly.

"You did well, Kamito. As expected of my slave spirit!"

"Why you..."

Holding his injured abdomen, Kamito let out a long suffering groan.

Jio shook off Flame Tongue, and glared at Claire.

"Huh, thank you for opening the true shrine's door especially for me."

"Yes, to defeat you."

A voice came from behind Claire.

Fianna, who had put on a solemn ritual costume, was calmly walking towards them.

She didn’t look like the powerless, frightened girl who hid her fear behind a cheerful facade.

Standing there proudly, was a white robed Queen.

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"I'll show it to you. The ritual Kagura of the Empire's second princess, Fianna Ray Ordesia."